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This Month in Mongolian Studies is a monthly listing of selected academic activities, resources and other material related to Mongolia. This list is based on information the ACMS has received and is presented as a service to its members. If you would like to submit information to be included in next month's issue please contact the ACMS at info@mongoliacenter.org This publication is supported in part by memberships. Please consider becoming a member of the ACMS, or renewing your membership by visiting our website at mongoliacenter.org/join.
Thank you!
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ACMS Announcements, News and Media References
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Job Opening: Resident Director, American Center for Mongolian Studies, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is seeking a Resident Director for its Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia office. We need your help in identifying exceptional candidates that can lead the Ulaanbaatar office during this time of strategic rebuilding of our in-country programs and services. Please see the position description below.
Please distribute this job announcement widely to potential applicants, and submit your nominations(including self-nominations) to application@mongoliacenter.org. Please provide contact information so we can follow up with all nominees.
For more information on the position, please email: application@mongoliacenter.org
Application screening will begin on July 17, 2023, and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified.
Details of the job position can be found here: |
| | Successful Completion of the Mongolia Field School 2023
Mongolia Field School is a summer field school program open to everyone, be they students, faculty,
researcher, or life-long learners. The participants need only be interested in the topic of the program. The Mongolia Field School program offers courses in special topics with each course being led by actual experts in the field, and a unique blend of academic learning and travel experience off the beaten path.
ACMS offered 3 courses in 2023 including, "Discovering the Sonic World of The Mongolian Countryside" (June 2 - June 15), "Climate Change and Public Health: What does climate change mean for the people of Mongolia?", "Mongolian Buddhism, Nature, and Conservation" (both on June 19 - July 4). A total of 25 participants enrolled in the program and a team of 14 academics and experts from American and Mongolian universities, agencies and foundations led the program.
The first course, "Discovering the Sonic World of The Mongolian Countryside" took off on June 2 with an orientation and research methodology class. Then the participants traveled to their field course location in Ikh Tamir sum (county), Arkhangai province to study the sounds of nature and human in pastoral nomadic setting - at an actual NSF and NASA funded scientific research project. Upon successful completion of the course the participants returned on June 15 to Ulaanbaatar for a wrap up.
The "Climate Change and Public Health: What does climate change mean for the people of Mongolia?",
"Mongolian Buddhism, Nature, and Conservation" courses began on June 19 with 19 participants combined and a team of 8 instructors and 1 translator and 1 ACMS staff member. The two courses traveled along the same route from Ulaanbaatar to Erdenet to Er-Uur ar Erdenebulgan sum, Khuvsgul Province, and on their way back the course stopped by Kharkhorin. However, each course focused on their respective subjects and field work.
"Mongolian Buddhism, Nature, and Conservation" course focused on the intersect between Mongolian Buddhism, Shamanism, nature ethics and environmental conservation, and provided an overview of the history and philosophy of Mongolian Buddhism, tracing its flow from the Silk Route to the twentieth century religious purges to its modern-day renaissance. And visited Buddhist monasteries throughout central and northern regions of Mongolia to meet with lamas, shamans, park rangers, conservationists and local nomads.
"Climate Change and Public Health: What does climate change mean for the people of Mongolia?" course focused on how climate change is impacting public health in urban environments and rural communities in Mongolia. They consulted with public health officials and visited hospitals at various levels of emergency, starting at the top level - a national level medical center, institutes for public health to provincial medical centers, local sum-level medical centers that provide mobile healthcare services. They also met with environmental scientists, park rangers and local nomads and discussed how climate change is affecting human health.
Both courses had the chance to visit Erdenet Mining Corporation, a major state-owned copper mine.
At the end of the trip on July 4, both courses have met up in Ulaanbaatar for certificate award ceremony and held a wrap up session.
Below is an infographic that gives some facts about Mongolia Field School 2023. |
| | | | Participants of the Sonic World course are doing plant survey training. |
| | | Climate change and Public health course participants taking a group photo after meeting with the health practitioners of the Kharkhorin Joint Hospital. |
| | | Participants of the Buddhism, Nature and Conservation course are visiting the Amarbayasgalant Monastery. |
| | Mongolia-Montana Climate Change & Public Health Roundtable Discussion
Upon completion of "Climate Change and Public Health: What does climate change mean for the people of Mongolia?" course several instructors and participants of the course participated in the Mongolia-Montana Climate Change & Public Health Roundtable Discussion on July 5. The roundtable discussion was organized by the ACMS at the American Corner UB located in the UB Public Library. In total 20 people including climate and environmental scientists, public health experts and medical practitioners from Mongolia, the U.S. and international organizations participated in this roundtable discussion. Organizations represented: from Mongolia - National Center for Public Health, Independent Research Institute of Mongolia, Center for Environmental Security Studies of the Institute of Strategic Studies, National University of Mongolia, Climate Change-Development Academy, Public Lab Mongolia, Special Envoy of Mongolia on Climate Change to UNFCCC, Anti-desertification Lobby Group at the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Lake Khuvsgul Special Protected Area Administration, First Central Hospital of Mongolia, Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Project; from U.S. - The U.S. Embassy to Mongolia, Montana State University, Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, Apsáalooke/Crow Nation of southeastern Montana; International organizations - Asian Development Bank.
There were 3 discussion topics: "what were the participants were most worried about concerning climate change and its effects on human health?", "what was being done locally and nationally?", and "How could future collaboration between Mongolia and U.S. (Montana) look like?". All contributions made by the participants will be compiled into a report and shared with them.
The event was hosted by Dr. Cathy Whitlock from Montana State University and Moderated by Dr. Delgerzul Ldoisamba from Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Project. Interpretation between English and Mongolian was provided by Buyandelger Davaajantsan, ACMS communication coordinator. |
| | Intensive Summer Language Program 2023
On June 5, 2023, one ACMS's key summer programs, the Intensive Summer Language Program (ISLP), began. ISLP aims to provide quality Mongolian language instruction to those seeking to learn Mongolian for academic and career purposes. ISLP immerses the language learners in the Mongolian language environment, by incorporating both classroom learning, field trips and cultural activities. The program goes on for 8 weeks from June to August.
In 2023, ISLP accepted 6 students, 2 current graduate students, 2 enrolled graduate students, 1 Peace Corp Volunteer and 1 undergraduate student. The students come from different state all over the U.S. as well as 1 student coming from Buryatia, Russia. A team of 3 teachers with decades of experience teaching Mongolian as a second language led by our very own Dr. Tsermaa are proving the language instructions. The students have been divided into intermediate and advanced classes, and special instruction on Mongolian script.
We are also happy note that one of our ISLP 2022 students, Daniel Cotter, joined again this year, and has advanced from the intermediate class to the advanced class.
We regularly give updates about the field trips and cultural activities of our ISLP students on our social media. More cultural activities and field trips are to come, stay tuned.
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| | | June 8. One of the excursion of ISLP in 2023 was a visit to the Government Palace of Mongolia, where the students had the chance to see the State Great Khural in action. (From left: Jason, Einar aka Anar, Maggie aka Margad, Tcybzhid, Dr. Tsermaa, Daniel aka Danzan, Daniel aka Khangai). |
| | | June 23. ISLP students are engaging in a game of ankle bones. One of the advantages of the ISLP program is the inclusion of cultural activities in the curriculum. |
| | "Conserving and preserving Mongolia's endangered textile collections" Project
ACMS continues to implement the AFCP (Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation) funded project. One of the objectives of the project is to carry out the conservation of an endangered textile fragments found at the site of a grave robbery. The grave appeared to have been a 13-14th century burial site. The robbers took everything they deemed of value and left the 13-14th century deel (a traditional Mongolian garb) in pieces, exposed to rot away in the elements. However, the surviving fragments of the deel shows that the piece of clothing was rather unique. The lining of this deel was made of silk, making it the only known deel to have silk lining.
ACMS project fellows Dr. Angaragsuren Odkhuu and Kristen Pearson, under guidance from the project leader Colleen O'Shea, have been working on the conservation of the rare textile fragments, cleaning, studying and recording. They will prepare the textile fragments for storage or display and hand it over to the Institute for Archaeology at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, one of the principal participants and partners of the project. |
| | Last Week's Word
In lieu with 4th of July, ᠲ᠋ᠣ᠊ᠰᠠᡍᠠ᠊ᠷ ᠲ᠋ᠣ᠊ᠠᠠᠳ᠋ᠠᠨᠢ᠊ᠯ /tusagar togtanil/ - (Cyrillic: тусгаар тогтнол /tusgaar togtnol/, English: independence) - a state freedom and independence.
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| | Becoming a Member
ACMS membership is another way to support and engage with the ACMS. Individuals and institutions can become members of ACMS, both come with corresponding benefits.
If you are in Ulaanbaatar, you can also visit our office to sign up for membership in-person. Our UB office address is Natsagdorj Library, East Entrance, Seoul St – 7, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar 14521
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ACMS Sponsored Programs and Events
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We have uploaded to our YouTube channel the Speaker Series event held on May 9, "Wolves, dogs, and human dimensions in a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Mongolia" by Jeff Dolphin, 2023 Field Research Fellow, a master's student at the University of Wyoming and Koprowski' Lab.
To watch the video on YouTube click the button below. |
| | | | Interview of 2023 ACMS Field Research Fellow Emily Eklund, an archaeology PhD student from the University of Pittsburgh. Emily Eklund's research focuses Bronze Age monuments in Mongolia, addressing questions, including why were they built, what was the relation between the Bronze Age community with the monuments. Click the button to view. |
| | | Visit our YouTube channel to see more series of the Virtual Speaker and Virtual Panel Series, as well as our videos on Cultural Heritage Project, interviews with our Field Research Fellows and more.
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| Upcoming Events
- Documentary screening "Transition" and a book launch "Marrying Mongolia, a Memoir" by Sas Carey on July 25, 2023. This will be an in-person event held at the American Corner, UB Public Library
"Transition" the 4th documentary by filmmaker Sas Carey and is about a 27-year-old medical doctor Khongoroo, who grapples with whether to remain in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. She misses the beautiful but remote East Taiga, where two-dozen families and relatives live in a tight-knit Dukha (Tsaata"n) reindeer herding community. Ulaanbaatar offers her a job when the countryside does not. With work in the city, Khongoroo must decide whether to risk the health of her three-year old daughter in the polluted capital or leave her with her grandmother where the air is clean. Through the eyes and heart of Khongoroo, we experience the challenges that modern life brings.
“Transition" has received 46 laurels and been shown on five continents.
Sas Carey is a child of the ’50’s, and was raised to marry and rear children. She did that, but with the care and morals shared by her parents, along with a lust for life, learned she could follow her own path, strewn with heartache, yet leading to transcendence and Mongolia. Her story is one of empowerment. In overcoming expectations, Sas becomes a healer of body and soul, learning that she need not devote herself to a single person to substantiate herself. She instead spent the past thirty years devoted to Mongolia.
Her non-profit Nomadicare’s mission is to “support and preserve traditional Mongolian nomadic life through health care, documentaries, and stories”.
- Speaker Series, "Listening to human-animal cooperation: sound-based interactions in Mongolian and Buryat pastoralism" by Charlotte Marchina, an anthropologist and Associate Professor in Mongolian Language and Culture at INALCO, on August 16, 2023
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| We are working to bring back in-person speaker events, we will be putting these events up as more in-person speaker become available. If you would like to speak in-person for an ACMS Speaker event, please email buyandelger@mongoliacenter.org
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Vacancies, Scholarship, and Fellowships
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Vacancy: Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kalamazoo College, Anthropology and Sociology
Institution Type: College / University
Location: Michigan, United States
Position: Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Kalamazoo College invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor of anthropology. The area of research is open, but research focused on blackness and located in Africa, Latin America, or the U.S is desired. As a blended department, our courses engage approaches from anthropology and sociology.
Ph.D. in Anthropology or evidence that it will be completed by September 1, 2024, is required. The position also requires advising senior theses, contributing to the College’s “Shared Passages” core curriculum (first-year, sophomore, and senior seminars), and a commitment to the liberal arts. Kalamazoo College is committed to inclusive excellence. We especially encourage applications from candidates whose intellectual and pedagogical approaches will be effective in attracting and retaining historically underrepresented students. The successful applicant will demonstrate a strong commitment to working with students, faculty, and staff from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. They will also demonstrate a high aptitude for and interest in undergraduate teaching, a commitment to the liberal arts, and the ability to establish an ongoing research record. Salary is competitive and consistent with the level of experience. Kalamazoo College is on the trimester system, and the teaching load is two courses per term.
Kalamazoo College is a highly selective liberal arts college offering an integrated undergraduate experience that weaves a traditional liberal arts curriculum with educational experiences and civic engagement in domestic and international settings. As such, it attracts students from diverse backgrounds. The College is a member of the Posse Program and home to the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. It is located in Kalamazoo, MI, a diverse and vibrant city in western Michigan and home of the first nationwide city-based college tuition remission program, the Kalamazoo Promise. Sitting halfway between Detroit and Chicago, Kalamazoo is also home to a large research university that shares many of its resources with the Kalamazoo College community. Thirty-five miles from the beautiful beaches and coastal towns of Lake Michigan, the area also offers many opportunities for outdoor activities.
Completed applications received by September 1, 2023 will receive full consideration, with later applications reviewed as needed until the position is filled. Please electronically submit in pdf format: cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement on equity and inclusion, a statement of teaching philosophy, and a statement of research interests. Three confidential letters of recommendation in pdf format should be sent to AnSoSearch@kzoo.edu with a subject line lastname_firstname. Prior to Zoom interviews, a writing sample and sample syllabi of a course the candidate has taught or may teach in the future will be requested.
Please direct all correspondence and questions regarding this position to the Search Chair, Dr. Francisco Villegas: francisco.villegas@kzoo.edu.
Kalamazoo College encourages candidates who will contribute to the cultural diversity of the College to apply and identify themselves if they wish. Equal Opportunity Employer. |
| | Vacancy: Assistant Professor of Russian/Eastern European/Eurasian History Williams College, History
Institution Type: College / University
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Position: Assistant Professor, Tenure Track Faculty
The Department of History at Williams College seeks to make a tenure-track appointment at the rank of assistant professor in Russian/Eastern European/Eurasian history, to begin during the 2024-25 academic year. Candidates should be dedicated scholars with Ph.D. in hand or expected by September 2024. All thematic and methodological approaches and chronological specializations are welcome. We are looking for a colleague who will teach Russian and Soviet surveys as well as courses in their area of focus. The teaching load in the department is 2-2 plus a January-term course every other year, and faculty have considerable autonomy in developing the curriculum in their fields. Information about the department and current curriculum can be found at: https://history.williams.edu.
The History Department has demonstrated success in developing a diverse faculty, and we are especially interested in candidates from historically underrepresented groups whose scholarship and teaching contribute to the breadth and excellence of our academic community. In addition, Williams offers faculty participation in the college’s professional development program First3 and in the NCFDD Faculty Success Program, and support through the newly established Rice Center for Teaching.
Please send the following application materials to the department chair, Roger Kittleson, via Interfolio
(http://apply.interfolio.com/126799):
a letter of application that includes a summary of current and future scholarship, teaching interests and experience, and ability to work effectively with a broadly diverse student population; a curriculum vitae; separate one-paragraph descriptions of proposed courses (please include one survey and two specialized courses); and three letters of recommendation. The deadline for receipt of materials is Friday, September 15.
All offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Further information is available at: http://dean-faculty.williams.edu/prospective-faculty/background-check-policy/.
Williams College is a liberal arts institution located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. The college has built its reputation on outstanding teaching and scholarship and on the academic excellence of its approximately 2,000 students. Please visit the Williams College website (http://www.williams.edu). Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn, and thrive.
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| | Scholarship: Fulbright Scholar Award
Application deadline: Friday, September 15, 2023
Award start period:
August 2024 - September 2024 or January 2025 - February 2025
Award length:
7 months - 10 months
Disciplines:
Projects are sought in all disciplines
Award Activity:
Fulbright scholars will teach and/or conduct their own research, work collaboratively with new colleagues at the host institution, engage with students, and become involved in the local community. Applicants may propose teaching projects, research projects, or a combination of both in a range of subject areas relevant to Mongolia, the United States, or U.S.-Mongolia relations. Scholars may also be asked to assist the host institution with curriculum and program development and/or supervise graduate student research projects. For teaching/research grants, research should make up no more than 50 percent of grant activities.
Locations:
Location Selection: Applicant may propose an appropriate host
Two-semester grants must begin in August 2024 or September 2024; one-semester grants may begin in August 2024, September 2024, January 2025, or February 2025. Fall semester begins in August or September (until late December); spring semester begins in January or February (until mid-June). Academic calendars vary by institution.
Areas of Interest
Fulbright Mongolia is particularly interested in encouraging research on contemporary issues relevant to Mongolia, the United States, or U.S.-Mongolia relations in the following fields: artistic and cultural, agriculture, anthropology, archaeology, computer science, education, engineering, environmental sciences, geology, information sciences/systems, journalism, medical sciences, public administration, public health, social work, tourism, urban planning.
Special Features
Fulbright East Asia Pacific Regional Travel Program
As conditions allow, Fulbright Scholars in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region may have the opportunity to apply for funds to support short-term (3-14 days) travel to other countries in the EAP region for activities such as lectures, workshops, graduate or faculty seminars, master classes or recitals, curricular advising or panel presentations. EAP Regional Travel Program funding covers transportation only. Regional Travel Program activities/host sites should not be included in the initial Fulbright application. Scholars may start the process of seeking out invitations for short-term activities in other EAP countries once notified that they have been selected for a Fulbright grant, but will only be able to apply for travel program funds, conditions permitting, once they have actively started their Fulbright grant in their host country. Scholars on Flex grants are not eligible for the regional travel grant.
Visit their website for more details on requirements, award benefits and to apply online:
URL link: https://fulbrightscholars.org/award/all-disciplines-694
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Grants and Calls for Paper
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Call for Abstracts: THIRD MORIN KHUUR FESTIVAL IN THE USA, 2023
The Third Morin Khuur Festival in the USA is planned for October 27-29, 2023, at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
The festival aims to promote the contemporary development of the morin khuur, or horsehead fiddle, through a meeting of amateurs and professionals interested in this Mongolian musical instrument. Participants will discuss the current state of the instrument, its construction, and possible future directions of its development. Festival organizers hope this event will further introduce the instrument and Mongolian culture to American audiences and encourage Mongolians living in this nation to protect their cultural heritage. The festival will include a scholarly presentation, concerts, master classes, panel discussions, and a contest for amateur morin khuur players.
Call for abstracts
Papers abstracts (200-300 words) are sought for the scholarly presentation during the festival on any topic related to the morin khuur. Abstracts can be in either English or Mongolian. Presenters will have 20 minutes to present their paper. Translation will be provided.
Abstract submission:
Abstracts must be submitted to us-festival@morin-khuur.org no later than Thursday, August 25, 2023.
Organizing committee
Peter K. Marsh (Ph.D, Prof.), Enkhtsetseg Danzan (Ph.D, Assoc. Prof.), and Charlotte D'Evelyn (Ph.D, Assistant Prof.)
For enquiries regarding the conference: peter.marsh@csueastbay.edu.
For all general enquiries, please contact: us-festival@morin-khuur.org.
We look forward to seeing you at Marymount University for the Third Morin Khuur Festival in the USA!
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| Call for Articles: Thematic Issue on the Indo-Pacific Region in 2040
The Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs is pleased to announce a call for articles for a thematic issue focusing on the Indo-Pacific region in the year 2040. As one of the leading scholarly publications in the field of international relations and security studies, we invite researchers, scholars, and experts to contribute their original research and analysis to this special issue.
Theme: The Indo-Pacific Region in 2040
In recent years, the Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a dynamic and crucial geopolitical space. This thematic issue aims to explore and anticipate the future trajectory of the Indo-Pacific region, with a specific focus on the year 2040. The year 2040 is chosen as a projection point to allow contributors to analyze and speculate on the potential developments, trends, challenges, and opportunities that may shape the Indo-Pacific region over the next two decades.
We welcome articles that address various dimensions of the Indo-Pacific region in 2040, including but not limited to:
- Geopolitical dynamics and power shifts in the Indo-Pacific.
- Security challenges and regional cooperation mechanisms.
- Economic integration and trade relations.
- Maritime security and freedom of navigation.
- Emerging technologies and their impact on regional dynamics.
- Climate change and environmental challenges.
- Socio-political trends and their implications.
- Regional actors and their roles in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific.
- Historical and cultural factors influencing the region's trajectory.
Submission Guidelines:
- Manuscripts should be original, unpublished works and should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- Articles should be approximately 4,000 to 6,000 words in length, including references and footnotes.
- All submissions must follow the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs style guide (Chicago Manual of Style).
- Please submit articles in Microsoft Word format to jipa@au.af.edu.
- Each article should include an abstract of 150–200 words.
- Authors should provide a brief bio, including their institutional affiliation and contact information.
- The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2023.
- All articles will undergo a double-blind peer-review process.
Publication Schedule:
- Deadline for submissions: September 30, 2023
- Notification of acceptance: October 13, 2023
- Final manuscript submission: December 1, 2023
- Thematic issue publication: January–February 2024
Please direct any inquiries regarding this call for articles or the submission process to the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs editorial team at jipa@au.af.edu.
We look forward to receiving your contributions and engaging in a comprehensive exploration of the Indo-Pacific region in the year 2040. Your research will play a crucial role in shaping our understanding of this dynamic and evolving geopolitical landscape.
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| | CFP: East Asian Ecocinema Conference, University of Idaho, February 22-23, 2024 (submission deadline extended)
Description:
Ecocinema has recently drawn scholarly attention in East Asian cinema studies, though usually within nation-state frameworks. This conference will contribute to exploration of ecological thinking with regards to media by encouraging inter-Asian conversations about ecocinema. Given the global issue of climate change, it is urgent to develop ecocritical perspectives beyond national cinema frameworks. For example, what can we learn about the relationship between cinema and natural disasters by comparing documentaries from Japan and China? How did filmmakers capture the changing cityscape and landscape during industrialization in different regions in East Asia? Challenging the Euro-America-centric discourse of Theory, what kind of ecocritical approaches and concepts are formed in media theories and criticisms in Asia? Can the increasing popularity of anime, which often reflects on natural disasters such as 3/11, inspire ecocritical thinking in the global audience? By providing scholars in East Asian cinema with a space for dialogue, this conference aims at mapping out alternative perspectives toward ecocinema beyond national borders.
This conference invites paper proposals from all areas in East Asian film studies. Interdisciplinary submissions from across the humanities are welcomed. Possible topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Catastrophe in anime
- Eco-activism by celebrities
- Ecocinema as a genre
- Ecocriticism and media theory in Asia
- Ecological documentary
- Environmentalist film
- New media and environment
- Non-anthropocentric worldview
- Sustainability and the film industry
Keynote speakers:
Kiu-wai Chu, Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities, Nanyang Technological University
Rachel DiNitto, Professor of Japanese Literature, University of Oregon
Submission process:
We invite scholars at all stages of their careers, across multiple disciplines as well as employing diverse methods and theories to submit proposals to this in-person conference. We will consider publishing selected contributions in an edited volume. The conference sponsor (the Idaho Asia Institute) will provide presenters with three nights lodging at a hotel in Moscow, Idaho (room shared with one other participant) and some meals. Participants will be expected to fund their own travel to and from Moscow, Idaho and other expenses.
Please submit the paper title, a 300-word abstract, and a short CV to Yuta Kaminishi (yutak@uidaho.edu) by July 30, 2023.Acceptance of proposals will be communicated by August 14, 2023.
Conference Organizers:
Yuta Kaminishi, Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian Cinema, University of Idaho
Jeff Kyong-McClain, Associate Professor of Chinese History, University of Idaho
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Interesting digital resource we discovered in June, 2023:Member contribution publications: (If you would like to announce your publication, please reach out to us at info@mongoliacenter.org. Make sure you put Member contribution publication in the Subject field of your email.
Selected scholarly articles published in June, 2023:
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| | FEATURE ARTICLES AND EVENTS ON MONGOLIAN STUDIES |
| The XII International Congress of Mongolists will be held in August 2023
The International Association for Mongolian Studies will be organizing the XII International Congress of Mongolists in August 9-14 in Ulaanbaatar.
Details of the congress can be obtained through email at iamsmongolia@gmail.com and announced on their social media at: https://www.facebook.com/iams.mongolia
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| | 2 Week in-country summer course on Mongolian Language and Culture
/NUM News/ March 14. The Institute for Mongolian Studies at the National University of Mongolia will be running a 2 week in-country summer Mongolian Language and Culture course. In addition to classroom instruction participants will go on an Ulaanbaatar and countryside tour organized by the IMS. The course will run from August 3 to August 15, 2023. Those interested in participating in this course must submit an Enrollment Form before June 30, 2023 to the IMS. For details go to: https://news.num.edu.mn/?p=93647 |
| | 42,000-year-old Mongolian pendant may be earliest known phallic art/Science/ June 16. The human predilection for phallic imagery is well documented—just look at the scrawling in any high school locker room. A pendant recently found in northern Mongolia suggests our species has been artistically recreating the penis for at least 42,000 years. According to researchers behind a study of the pendant, published this week in Nature Scientific Reports, the 4.3-centimeter piece of carved graphite is the “earliest-known sexed anthropomorphic representation.” Read more |
| | Elon Musk discussed a possible Mongolia expansion with the country’s prime minister
/CNBC/ June 7. Mongolia’s prime minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene and Tesla
CEO Elon Musk on Monday discussed possible expansion and investments into the Asian country over a virtual meeting. “They discussed the possibility of welcoming Tesla to Mongolia for its electric vehicles battery factory, leveraging the country’s wide availability of copper and rare earth elements, which are essential components of electric cars’ batteries,” according to a statement issued on behalf of the Mongolian government. The East Asian country is rich in minerals and boasts large deposits of copper, gold and coal. Read more |
| | Inaugural U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue Held in Ulaanbaatar
/US Department of State/ June 27. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez held the first-ever U.S.-Mongolia-Republic of Korea (ROK) Critical Minerals Dialogue with Mongolian Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry Ganbaatar Jambal and Republic of Korea 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Do-hoon in Ulaanbaatar. Through the U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue, the three governments advanced information exchange and collaboration on critical mineral supply chains. Read more |
| | China, Mongolia to discuss technology, railway connections and green development as prime minister begins 6-day trip
/SCMP/ June 26. Mongolia is expected to enhance cooperation with China on technology, railway connections and green development as its prime minister kicked off a six-day visit to its neighbour on Monday. Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, who is leading the high-level delegation, is expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and will also attend the World Economic Forum’s 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or Summer Davos, in northern port city of Tianjin between Tuesday and Friday.
“I am delighted to undertake my first official visit to China and take the opportunity to expand our two countries’ strategic partnership,” Oyun-Erdene said in an official statement. Read more |
| | | Powering the future in Mongolia /MIT Press/ June 12. Nestled within the Tuul River valley and embraced by the southern Khentii Mountain Range, Ulaanbaatar (UB), Mongolia’s largest city, presents itself as an arena where nature’s forces wage an unrelenting battle against human resilience. The capital city is an icy crucible, with bone-chilling winters that plummet temperatures to an astonishing -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius). Mongolia, often hailed with the celestial moniker of “The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky,” paradoxically succumbs to a veil of pollution and energy struggles during the winter months, obscuring the true shade of the cherished vista. To understand the root of these issues, MIT students from classes 22.S094 (Climate and Sustainability Systems: Decarbonizing Ulaanbaatar at Scale) and 21A.S01 (Anthro-Engineering: Decarbonization at the Million-Person Scale) visited Mongolia to conduct on-site surveys, diving into the diverse tapestry of local life as they gleaned insight from various stakeholder groups. |
| | Mongolia’s Constitutional Reform Enlarges Parliament, Advances a Mixed Electoral System/The Diplomat/ June 2. On May 31, the Mongolian parliament passed a major constitutional reform to enlarge the legislative body from 76 members to 126. The change will impact Mongolia’s electoral system and representative democracy at large. The proposal to increase the number of legislators to either 152 or 126 has been the subject of a prolonged legal debate among Mongolian leaders. After years of discussion, the government reached a final consensus – one that will alter Mongolia’s democracy, governance, and the ways in which constituencies vote for their legislative representatives. The newly passed reform incorporates a mixed electoral system: 78 members of the State Great Khural will be elected by majority vote in a dedicated constituency, and the remaining 48 members will be elected by proportional representation. Read more |
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| The Forensic Report of the Child-Novice's Case Is Out/News.mn/ June 28. News of alleged sexual harassment of child-novices at the Gandantegchinlen Monastery spread on social media. In regard to this news the police conducted an undelayable operation, collected information of criminal nature and proceeded with the investigation. A forensic expert's report was solicited for 7 children in total - the 3 alleged child-victims and 4 alleged child-persons of interest - and the report is out. Read more in Mongolian
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Price: €335.00 (Hardcopy)
Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism is the first comprehensive academic reference work devoted to the plurality of Buddhist traditions across Asia, offering readers a balanced and detailed treatment of this complex phenomenon in six thematically arranged volumes: literature and languages (I, publ. 2015), lives (II, publ. 2019), thought (III, forthcoming winter 2023/4), history (IV, in two parts, publ. spring 2023 and winter 2023/4), practice (V, 2026), index and remaining issues (VI, forthcoming 2026). Each volume contains substantial original essays by many of the world’s foremost scholars, essays which not only cover basic information and well-known issues but which also venture into areas as yet untouched by modern scholarship. An essential tool for anyone interested in Buddhism.
Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism is under the general editorial control of Jonathan Silk (Leiden University, editor-in-chief). Each volume has a dedicated board of specialist editors and in later volumes also a volume editor; in the series so far this includes Richard Bowring (University of Cambridge), Vincent Eltschinger (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris), Oskar von Hinuber (Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg) and Michael Radich (Heidelberg University).
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| | "Buddhist Statecraft in East Asia" by Stephanie Balkwill (editor) and James A. Benn (editor)
Price: €104.00 (Hardback)
Buddhist Statecraft in East Asia explores the long relationship between Buddhism and the state in premodern times and seeks to counter the modern, secularist notion that Buddhism, as a religion, is inherently apolitical. By revealing the methods by which members of Buddhist communities across premodern East Asia related to imperial rule, this volume offers case studies of how Buddhists, their texts, material culture, ideas, and institutions legitimated rulers and defended regimes across the region.
The volume also reveals a history of Buddhist writing, protest, and rebellion against the state.
Contributors are Stephanie Balkwill, James A. Benn, Megan Bryson, Gregory N. Evon, Geoffrey C. Goble, Richard D. McBride II, and Jacqueline I. Stone.
Stephanie Balkwill, Ph.D. (2015), McMaster University, is Assistant Professor of Chinese Buddhism at the University of California, Los Angeles. She publishes on the social, political, and intellectual history of Buddhist women in early medieval China.
James A. Benn, Ph.D. (2001), University of California, Los Angeles, is Professor of Buddhism and East Asian Religions at McMaster University. He is the author of Burning for the Buddha: Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2007) and Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015).
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| | "Moral Economic Transitions in the Mongolian Borderlands: A proportional share" by Hedwig Amelia Waters
Price: This is an open access book
Since the early 1990s, Mongolia began its hopeful transition from socialism to a market democracy, becoming increasingly dependent on international mining revenue. Both shifts were promised to herald a new age of economic plenty for all. Now, roughly 30 years on, many of Mongolia’s poor and rural feel that they have been forgotten.
Moral Economic Transitions in the Mongolian Borderlands describes these shifts from the viewpoint of the self-proclaimed ‘excluded’: the rural township of Magtaal on the Chinese border. In the wake of socialism, the population of this resource-rich area found itself without employment and state institutions, yet surrounded by lush nature 30 kilometres from the voracious Chinese market. A two-tiered resource-extractive political-economic system developed. Whilst large-scale, formal, legally sanctioned conglomerates arrived to extract oil and land for international profits, the local residents grew increasingly dependent on the Chinese-funded informal, illegal cross-border wildlife trade. More than a story about rampant capitalist extraction in the resource frontier, this book intimately details the complex inner worlds, moral ambiguities and emergent collective politics constructed by individuals who feel caught in political-economic shifts largely outside of their control.
Offering much needed nuance to commonplace descriptions of Mongolia’s post-socialist transition, this study presents rich ethnographic detail through the eyes and voices of the state’s most geographically marginalized. It is of interest not only to experts of political-economy and post-socialist transition, but also to non-academic readers intrigued by the interplay of value(s) and capitalism.
Hedwig Amelia Waters is Horizon Europe ERA Postdoctoral Fellow at Palacky University, Czech Republic.
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| | | "Shepherds of the Steppes: The Experience of Male Evangelical Mongolian Church Leaders, An Ethnographic Approach" by Mark D. Wood
Price: $40.00 (Hardcopy), $9.99 (Ebook)
The evangelical Mongolian church has experienced significant growth since the country opened to the world in 1990. Despite the growth and emergence of the evangelical church in Mongolia, relatively little has been written on the church from the perspective of the leaders themselves. This ethnographic study seeks to express the experience of male, evangelical, Mongolian church leaders in their own words. The book focuses specifically on the leaders' experiences of conversion, discipleship, navigation of Mongolian culture and traditions, and theological education. Readers will hear from evangelical church leaders why they became Christians and what their experience with discipleship was like for them. The issue of contextualization for evangelical Christians is also a central focus. In particular, the translation of the term for God in Mongolian and the perspective of the church leaders are explored. This book will be of interest to those exploring Christianity in Asia and post-socialist contexts as well as seeking to better understand contemporary Mongolian culture.
Mark D. Wood is the director of Kingdom Leadership Training Center. He is an international worker with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and has served in Mongolia since 2008.
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| | "The Nomadic Leviathan: A Critique of the Sinocentric Paradigm" by Lhamsuren Munkh-Erdene
Price: €175.00 (Both)
Devised to legitimize the Republic of China’s claim over Inner Asia, the Sinocentric paradigm stems from the Open Door Policy and Chinese nationalism. Advanced against the conquest theory, and rationalized as the pathfinding ecological theory, it is an evolutionary materialist scheme that became the vision of history.
Exposing the initial agenda of this paradigm and revealing its fundamental contradictions, The Nomadic Leviathan debunks it as a myth. Resurrecting the conquest theory, and reinforcing it with the idea of extrahuman transportation, this book places pastoralism at the origin of the state and civilization, and the Eurasian steppe at the center of human history; the political emerges as the primary and fundamental order defining the social and economic.
Lhamsuren Munkh-Erdene, Ph.D. (2004), Hokkaido University, is a Professor of History and Anthropology at the National University of Mongolia, and a visiting fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. He is the author of The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State: The Formation of the Qing Imperial Constitution (Brill, 2021).
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| | "Northern Wei (386-534): A New Form of Empire in East Asia" by Scott Pearce
Price: $82.49 (eBook) $110.00 (Hardcover)
Emerging from collapse of the Han empire, the founders of Northern Wei had come south from the grasslands of Inner Asia to conquer the rich farmlands of the Yellow River plains. Northern Wei was, in fact, the first of the so-called "conquest dynasties" complex states seen repeatedly in East Asian history in which Inner Asian peoples ruled parts of the Chinese world.
An innovative contribution to East Asian and Chinese history of the medieval period, Northern Wei (386-534) combines received historical text and archaeological findings to examine the complex interactions between these originally distinct populations, and the way those interactions changed over time. Scott Pearce analyses traditions borrowed and adapted from the long-gone Han dynasty including government and taxation as well as the new cultural elements such as the use of armor for man and horse in the cavalry and the newly-invented stirrup. Further, this book discusses the fundamental change in the dynastic family, as empresses began to play an increasingly important role in the business of government. Though Northern Wei fell in the early sixth century, the nature of the state was thus fundamentally changed, in the Chinese world and East Asia as a whole; it had laid down a foundation from which a century later would emerge the world empire of Tang.
Trained in the history of China, inner Asia, and Japan, and in Chinese thought and religion, Scott Pearce specializes in dynasties of Inner Asian origin that ruled northern China during the 4th through the 6th centuries CE. He has just completed a book on the first major example of such regimes, the Northern Wei (386-534). From this work come scholarly and teaching interests in many related issues, such as the encounter and interaction of cultures, military history, and the arts and poetic forms of East Asia and worlds beyond.
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